The Gala of the Royal Horses

On Saturday, November 02nd, 2024 at three o'clock in the afternoon, royalty is coming to Montgomery. Royal horses, that is. As world-renowned riding master, Rene Gasser, brings the four royal horse breeds of Lippizan, Andalusian, Friesian, and Arabian to the Garrett Coliseum for his production of "The Gala of the Royal Horses". A show designed to demonstrate the capabilities of the royal horse breeds that is seen in the famous riding Spanish Riding School in Vienna and historically in the Royal Courts of Europe.

Born in the Schaffhausen in Switzerland, Gasser was born with equestrianship in his blood. As his great grandmother was an accomplished horse trainer and performer and his great grandfather was a highly decorated military horseman. In fact, Gasser is the seventh generation horseman of his family.

The Gala of the Royal Horses is designed to highlight the beauty of the horses as well as maneuvers that were once used on the battlefield such as "Roman Riding" where the rider stands atop a pair of horses with one foot on each horse. The Art of Garrocha will be on display, as well. Which features the traditional Spanish riding style that uses a long wooden pole, called a "garrocha" to connect the rider to the horse. Bareback riding will also be seen during the show.

While many people say, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth", Rene Gasser disagrees. As before he purchases horses from the most prestigious famous horse breeds in the world, he makes certain to look at the horses right in the eyes. As Gasser states, "I like to see their eyes. If they have nice relaxed eyes, I like to get a feel when you meet a horse: 'This horse has got something special.' You get a feeling. I trust the instinct. Sometimes you can have a horse so good looking, but if you don't know (how you feel), stay away from it."

While Gasser has toured Australia for many years with The Gala of the Royal Horses, he is now bringing his tour to North America. With tickets prices ranging from $25 for children to $65 for VIP tickets, those who wish to obtain their tickets prior to the Montgomery show can obtain them here: GALA OF THE ROYAL HORSES Tickets | Montgomery, AL | W.O. CRAWFORD ARENA-GARRETT COLISEUM (Montgomery).

Luisa Reyes is an attorney in Tuscaloosa with a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Judson, a master's degree in library science, and a law degree from Samford's Cumberland School of Law. She is also a piano instructor and vocalist.